Hitherto, it is known to cast a cylinder head of an engine for a vehicle by a low pressure die casting method. As a casting machine for this low pressure die casting method, it is known to adopt a configuration in which a molten metal furnace is arranged under a mold composed of an upper mold and a lower mold having a sprue, and the molten metal stored in the molten metal furnace is pushed up by applying pressure and supplied to the inside of the mold via a stoke (supply conduit) through the sprue of the lower mold.
In this type of casting machine, in a case of producing a product having a complicated shape which cannot be casted only by the upper mold and the lower mold, a horizontal sliding mold is used in addition to the upper mold and the lower mold (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2013-86118). As a casting machine using the horizontal sliding molds, there is known to arrange the horizontal sliding molds along the four sides of a rectangular lower mold so as to enable reciprocating motion while sliding on a rail between a mold-closing position and a mold-opening position. A lower section of the horizontal sliding mold closely contacts the lower mold, and the side section of the horizontal sliding mold closely contacts the adjacent horizontal sliding mold at the mold-closing position.
Here, the inside of the casting machine easily becomes high temperature at the lower side where the molten metal furnace is arranged, and therefore, the temperature of the lower mold tends to become higher compared to the horizontal sliding mold positioned upward with respect to the lower mold. Moreover, when the horizontal sliding mold is positioned at the mold-closing position, the lower mold with high temperature has a large thermal expansion, and the horizontal sliding mold is positioned by contacting the lower mold at its lower section. At this time, since the temperature of the horizontal sliding mold is low compared to the lower mold, its thermal expansion is small. As such, there are cases where the horizontal sliding mold is not able to contact the adjacent horizontal sliding mold. In such case, it is concerned that the horizontal sliding mold pushed in by the actuator becomes an inclined posture so as to fall down toward the center of the mold.
In order to prevent this, according to Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2013-86118, supporting columns for preventing the inclining posture of the horizontal sliding mold are provided at a base to which the lower mold is fixed, so as to correspond to the four corners of the lower mold, thereby supporting the horizontal sliding mold by these supporting columns.